Super High School Level Headmaster
by ConnVolpe
Summary: "For most people residing within the walls of Hope's Peak Academy, 4am was a completely unnatural time of day to be awake. However, Jin Kirigiri was not like 'most people'." Jin Kirigiri is the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, the world's most prestigious school. Join him on his ordinary routine in an extraordinary school.


For most people residing within the walls of Hope's Peak Academy, 4am was a completely unnatural time of day to be awake. However, Jin Kirigiri was not like 'most people'. Jin Kirigiri had a school to run, and that alone justified waking up so early. Or so he keep telling himself, as he fought the urge to go back to bed and fall asleep.

This was not entirely unusual for the headmaster of such a revered establishment, but alas, the decision was never any easier to make. Sleeping for a maximum of only 5 hours a night on weekdays has that effect on people.

Nevertheless, Jin Kirigiri sat on the side of his bed and wearily rubbed the sleep from his eyes, the final stage in admitting that there was no turning back now. With a slight grunt and mean sounding click from his knees reminding him of the inevitability of old age, he stood up and walked towards his on-suite kitchen. Being a senior staff member did have its occasional benefits…

Or it would have if his kitchen was actually stocked like it was supposed to be. Five minutes of searching every food cupboard revealed nothing except a solitary can of tuna five months past its expiration date. Nothing changed after another two minutes of repeatedly open and closing the door to his fridge, hoping each time the results would be different from what they were: non-existent.

With a final sigh of defeat, he left the kitchen. Breakfast would have to wait until the cafeteria opened. At least he could find some comfort in the fact that the options there were better than the usual school cafeteria shtick.

However, he had work to do and so more delays were unlikely to do him any favours, especially with a metaphorical mountain of paperwork to sort through before even the thought of food would be allowed.

* * *

"A Full English Breakfast, if you wouldn't mind" Kirigiri asked, a polite smile on his face. The young female cook, despite looking a little shocked to see the headmaster, immediately replied with a nod, and disappeared into the room behind her. He was more than a little glad that his academy offered more than just miso soup and rice for breakfast, given how hungry he was.

The mountain hadn't been as difficult as he had expected and he'd finished early for once, but it had been incredible dull and tedious. Sign this, approve that, and so on. Maybe he could get a little excitement from eating with the students for a change.

Within moments, the young chef returned, carrying a plate generously filled with everything a Full English breakfast should have, including the baby muffin. With a brief "Thank you", he turned to survey the room, only to find that only two of the many tables were occupied.

It was then that he remembered it was a 7:00 am on a Monday, and that likely, only the most disciplined of students would even be awake. So the reason that the Super High School Level Gamer would not only be awake, but fully dressed and occasionally nibbling at the omelette in front of her, was a mystery to him.

Jin Kirigiri was familiar with her for a few reasons. One such reason was the questioning of whether gaming was actually a talent worthy of admittance to Hope's Peak Academy by some of the more senior members of staff. Needless to say, she had been very quick to show them exactly why they were wrong, and that alone had put her in his good books.

"Good Morning, Nanami-san. How are you doing today?" the headmaster asked, slowly sliding into the chair opposite her. She showed no signs of even realising he was there, but that was to be expected. It was almost scary how well she could shut out the outside world to concentrate on her games.

Turning his attention to his food, he absent-mindedly ate as waited for her to finish the stage she was on. If the distinctly female grunting coming from her portable console was any indication, it was a fighting game. It took only a few seconds of waiting before the announcer called an end to the round with an enthusiastic "Winner!"

"I wonder why people think that Alpha-152 is a hard boss. She's pretty easy to block if you know how she moves…" Yawning, she finally took her eyes off of the glowing screen in her hands and noticed the man sitting opposite. "Oh. Hello, Headmaster… how long have you been sitting there?" Nanami asked, fighting her obvious tiredness and urge to nod off, with a smile.

Waving her question off, he replied with a simple "Not long at all, actually." Despite the slight change of plan he had to take to actually get something to eat, meeting her here might actually be a good thing. "I wanted to ask you something actually. How is your preparatory school friend? I've been meaning to have a word with him myself…"

To say he had been putting off that talk was an understatement. In all honesty, he'd never been in favour of the project, despite the fact that the steering committee seemed to think that it was the school's sole purpose. After all, the only reason they'd been so driven on it was that a note had been found, stashed in the school archives, which had been written by the school's founder. Seemingly, it stated that Hope's Peak Academy was to be devoted to creating the greatest hope possible.

Returning his attention back to the girl in front of him, she seemed to have been thinking long enough for him to have almost entirely finished his meal. "Oh, do you mean Hinata-kun? He's okay… I think. I don't know, but he said he's studying a lot for the project." Nanami wasn't entirely in the dark about the whole project, she was most likely one of only three school students who actually knew it existed. However, the extent of the project had been kept secret lest she warn her friend.

"Good, good. It sounds as though he's still as enthusiastic about the whole thing as he was when we contacted him. As you know, he'll be the first student to go from the prep school to the main school: a role model and beacon of hope for the entire student body." Kirigiri didn't like keeping secrets from people, but he knew that sometimes it was a necessary part of the job.

Finishing the food on his plate, amongst more idle chit chat, he left the table with a polite 'good luck with your studies' as she returned to her game. Passing his plate back through to the kitchen for clean up, he whistled a small tune as he marched towards his office. It was hardly a long journey, but the constant stream of 'Good Morning, Headmaster' and 'Hello, Kirigiri-sensei', all of which he tried his best to reply to, left him no moment to himself.

Upon reaching the door to his office, he found that he would still not be given such a moment, as two students stood outside his door. One could be recognised immediately as the socialite fashion girl known as Junko Enoshima, a regular visitor to his office. The other was less instantly recognisable, however, one and a half years of her sister's antics dragging her along had introduced the Super High School Level Soldier, Mukuro Ikusaba, to the headmaster fairly quickly.

"Heya, Kirigiri-sensei, I bet you didn't expect to find us here so early! It's got to be, like, some kind of record, right?" blabbered the livelier of the twins, in a voice much too loud for so early in the morning. Neither the Headmaster nor the stony-faced Soldier seemed very impressed with her antics. Once Enoshima noticed, she huffed, folding her arms and pouting. "You guys are such a buzzkill."

Slowly rubbing his temples as if to stop the incoming headache, Kirigiri just walked past her and into his office. Holding the door open behind him as an invite, both followed him through and took a seat, one sitting without fuss, the other throwing herself onto the couch and laying upside-down. Kirigiri ignored them as he took his own seat behind his desk.

"If I may be so bold as to ask, what exactly have you done to warrant a trip to my humble abode so early in the morning?" Kirigiri asked, shuffling a few of the randomly placed documents into a neat pile. Honestly, he could guess what might have happened given that Junko had shouted it through the corridors only moments after having left the headmaster's office the day before.

"Oh, the boss-man wants us to tell him? Too fuckin' bad, if we don't have to, we ain't going to!" Junko yelled, the personality switch almost seamless if not for the shift in posture, "Ain't that right, Mukuro?!"

The less flamboyant twin, who had was yet to speak a word, simply sighed at her sister's antics. Not even bothering to make eye contact with the headmaster to back up her sister, she simply nodded. At least one of them knew how to act somewhat normally. However, it looked like a little added persuasion might be needed.

"That may be the case, but I highly doubt either of you want to spend any more time stuck in my office than I do. Now, either you can tell me or I can move the both of you to isolation for a while, which means no shopping for you, Enoshima-san, and no firing range for you, Ikusaba-san." He had tried his hardest to get his point across, and if Enoshima's slight flinch meant anything, it had gotten through to her.

"B-but you wouldn't do that to poor old Mukuro-chan, would you? She couldn't take it," Junko stammered, her face flushing a little, "All that pent up frustration she takes out on those targets, building and building until she couldn't take it anymore and then, she'd burst with excitement."

Enoshima had left the room silent, except for her heavy breathing as she tried to cool herself down. Even Mukuro, who was so used to her sister's odd personalities, was visibly showing that that description was a little too graphic.

Trying to bring them back on track, however, as well as rid himself of the awkward silence, Kirigiri coughed to grab their attention. "I very well would. Now, would you like to tell me or not?"

"Eh, I couldn't care less about Mukuro, but I've got things I need to do," Enoshima said, personalities once again switching, "We broke curfew to go out on the town. Nothing major." Kirigiri knew it was more than that, but he wouldn't get it out of her at this rate.

"Enoshima-san, the rules are there for a reason. Believe it or not, there are people out there, who, if they got their chance, could seriously hurt you," the headmaster recited, tiring of dealing with the extravagant teenager, "Independence is one thing, but disregard for your own safety is not something to be taken lightly. I'll let you off with a warning this time, but in future, please do try to exercise some restraint in future. I would not like to see one of my students hurt, given I am meant to be protecting them. Is that alright, Enoshima-san?"

A little stony faced for the duration of that speech, she just yawned. "Boooriiing! Sooo uncool! Well, whatever, I'll make sure you don't see a single student get hurt." Junko just strolled towards the door, not even waiting for Ikusaba to join her. However, as the soldier got up, Jin Kirigiri stopped her.

"No, I would like to talk to you alone, Ikusaba-san, if you wouldn't mind." Neither of the twins looked shocked at the revelation he would want to speak to Ikusaba alone, but the girl in question did however look a little uncomfortable.

"Feh, you can have her. She's the worst big sister you could ask for. All she's going to do is disappoint you" Enoshima called back in a gruff voice, marching out of the office and abandoning her twin sister. Ikusaba watched intently as she disappeared, whilst Kirigiri just sat back in his chair and released the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"…She's going to be the death of us all…" the Headmaster sighed, relaxing a little after overcoming the biggest hurdle the day could possibly throw at him, "You really shouldn't let yourself get dragged into her plans like that, even if she's your sister." Turning his gaze over to the girl sitting in front of him, she was looking straight at him, but not with her usual cold intensity. No, she seemed genuinely confused, maybe even vulnerable.

"She may only be my sister, but she is also my only family. You must know what it is like to have only a sole member of your family left," Ikusaba retorted, not shying away from the obviously troubling topic, "It is not so easy to abandon them again after having already done it once."

It hit Kirigiri hard. Every word she had said was true. Harsh, but true. But that wasn't what this conversation was about. "Nevertheless, you must know that she is not a good influence on you. It's important to take care of family, but it's not impossible to occasionally put some distance between you and them when the need arises," the Headmaster said, knowing all too well how true his last sentence was, even if it was not he was not the one doing it, "Now, I believe classes will be starting very soon. If you wouldn't mind, could you remind Naegi-kun to visit me after school? He and I have some matters to discuss."

If only for a moment, Ikusaba seemed to smile at the mention of Naegi's name, but for what reason, Jin Kirigiri had no idea. With an exchange of mutual nodding, Ikusaba took her leave. Had she any other student for a sister, Kirigiri had no doubts that she would be a model student, but that just wasn't the case.

At least, now he could focus on other things. Things such as the next pile of documents to approve, sign, evaluate, sign again and then file away.

* * *

So it was his turn to oversee Detention this week? It seemed a little odd that the Headmaster, of all people, would have to do such a task. Surely there was someone else who had even a little bit less paperwork and little bit more free time who could do this.

But no. It was his name written in bold black letters on the schedule. With a final groan of defeat, he pushed the door open to the classroom to reveal… a nearly empty classroom. Maybe this would be more peaceful than he thought.

"Morning, Sir! I have seated the delinquents according to class, surname and the severity of their infraction again the rules!" the student standing directly beside the door shouted. It was a very recognisable voice, as it could usually be heard throughout the school when a student had been caught running in the halls. Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Super High School Level Moral Compass. There was going to be very little chance of peace if he remained shouting at the few students in front of them.

"Hey, who are you calling a delinquent?!" yelled a student in the second row, equally as loud. Mondo Oowada, Super High School Level Biker Gang Leader. Kirigiri gritted his teeth at the realisation of why exactly he may have been saddled with this very detention. The combination of Ishimaru and Oowada was not a good one. Although they were friends, they could get very loud in the heat of the moment.

"That's enough from the both of you. As far as I'm concerned, I am going to be using this time to look over some of the newest applicants for Hope's Peak. Either the both of you can stay here for half an hour and be quiet, or I'm sure I could arrange for you both to be put into Friday's school detention, which I don't think either of you want." Hopefully, that would be enough to defuse the situation, but he couldn't be sure. Having received a mumbled "Yes, Kirigiri-sensei", he turned his attention to the scouting reports.

First things first, he would need to sort out which talents seemed to belong in the school. Super High School Level Mascot? Super High School Level Tailor? Not a particularly impressive talents but talents that show some leadership qualities, such as the ability to motivate, adaptability and patience. The sort of people that wouldn't at first glance make the cut, but could be potential diamonds in the rough.

Soon enough, however, the pair were at it again, and yet again proved that the concept of an indoor voice was still lost on both of them. At least, this time it seemed to be about a fellow student's birthday: something a little more appropriate than their usual debating topics.

Luckily enough, before it became a problem, a knock on the door rang through a brief moment of silence. Upon replying with a "Come in", a meek student pushed his head through. Kirigiri could not have welcomed Naegi's interruption any more, even if it meant having to once again delay the paperwork he was doing.

"You wanted to speak to me, Kirigiri-sensei?" Naegi asked, his volume paling in comparison with the argument coming from behind Jin. With more than a little enthusiasm than appropriate, the headmaster sprang from his desk and left the room, closing the door behind him to muffle the noise.

"Yes, I did. Thank you from coming to find me when you did, too. Now, shall we find somewhere a little more… peaceful?" Kirigiri asked, a gentle smile upon his lips. Together, they started to walk, a little more than a few words exchanged between them as they made their way to his office.

Turning the final corner and walking past Enoshima yet again standing outside his office, Naegi quickly took off his bag and sat down as Kirigiri rounded his desk. Naegi had turned slightly pale and the time the headmaster was sat down, much to the older man's slight amusement.

"Naegi-kun, you are by no means in trouble. Please try to relax a little, there's no reason to be worried," Kirigiri said, a comforting smile on his face, which visibly put Naegi at ease, "Now, I actually wanted to ask a favour of you. You see, there is a new student starting in the year above you next month, and obviously I want him to feel welcome. Given the circumstances with your upperclassmen mostly being pre-occupied with studying for midterms, and as you are one of the more approachable students, I would like for you and a few other students to greet him when he comes, and to show him around. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Naegi, despite relaxing, had suddenly been struck with a stammer at the request. "Y-yes, Kirigiri-sensei. But… are you really sure I'm the best candidate for this? My talent is hardly very impressive, and I'd hate to make the wrong impression…" Naegi was visibly nervous about such a task, and what he was saying wasn't wrong. However, it had been the headmaster choice to pick him to greet the new student, despite the fact they would hardly be new to Hope's Peak after having been a part of the preparatory school for one and a half years. All Jin Kirigiri could do was reassure him.

"Granted, you have a point. You may not be the most spectacular student, but that is exactly the point. This new student is from a similar background to your own. He is an ordinary boy, entering a school for the extraordinary, and who better to make friends with than someone who has been in the exact same position, and come out of it as arguably one of the most popular students in his class?" The pep-talk seemed to have been exactly what Naegi needed if the small smile he now had was any indication. With a curt nod, Naegi managed to look the headmaster directly in the eye.

"I'll do it. Thank you, Kirigiri-sensei" Naegi stated, a newfound confidence starting within him. With mock salute, Kirigiri sent him on his way, and lent back in his chair. Naegi was far from having the most extraordinary talent in the school, but by all means, he was probably one of the more extraordinary students with his normality which made him all the more unique.

Naegi was possibly one of the best students the school had to offer, even if he was a little more prone than most to forgetting things. For example, his bag, which sat directly opposite the headmaster. Nevertheless, he would have to return it later, after he dealt with another student for the second time today.

* * *

He'd warned her. And now, having whined about her punishment and threatened not to leave his office until it was lifted, she was left alone in Kirigiri's office until he came back from returning Naegi's bag, which now that he thought about it, probably wasn't such a good idea.

Trying not to worry about it, he realised it wasn't often the headmaster visited the student dormitories. Usually, students were directed to his office if there was any reason to speak with them. However, given the school day had ended, there wasn't much way around it.

With a brief rap against the door, the headmaster announced his presence. After a few second, a faint buzzing could be heard, signalling the unlocking of the door. Naegi had opened the door without verification of who it might be. Was he expecting someone?

Pushing the door open revealed a fairly average room, with little to no decoration at all. In fact, the only thing on the wall was a poster of an idol group and a framed letter bearing the seal of Hope's Peak. The seal was slightly rushed and the imprint of the stamp not completely formed in what was half-melted wax. Kirigiri didn't even remembering stamping the thing, but it was clearly important to the young student, and that alone brought a smile to his face.

Turning the corner, he saw Naegi scrambling through his drawers, a pile of what must have been at least twenty unique socks with no matches to be found. Deciding not to not startle to boy, the headmaster quietly cleared his throat just loud enough to be noticed amongst the panicked mumbling.

"Sorry, Ki- Kirigiri-sensei?!" Naegi yelped, stumbling into his drawers once he had turned around, "Did you still need to talk to me? I'm sorry I ran off…" Hanging his head, the student stood up to follow the headmaster to his inevitable punishment.

That, however, was not what the headmaster had wanted. Instead, from an outstretched arm, hung his bag. "You left this in my office. I only came to return it," the older man laughed, finding the younger one's antics amusing. "You'll have to learn to stop worrying one of these days. Now, I'll be taking my leave."

Turning on the spot, he made his way to the door. He could have sworn he'd heard a small sigh of relief come from the boy before another knock upon the door sounded out into the room. With a little curiosity, Jin Kirigiri peered over his shoulder at Naegi, seeing the look of shock and panic return once more as he came up behind the headmaster.

Not wanting to intrude, Kirigiri let the boy past to open the door. After a quick glance at the headmaster, the boy opened the door slightly and whispered through the small opening. Jin managed to pick up a few odd words out of the conversation, but nothing meaningful until the other person spoke.

"I'd rather you didn't hide things from me, Naegi-kun. Now, step aside" the person on the other side said, her tone reprimanding and firm. Naegi had stood no chance. Dejected, he opened the door up further, allowing his visitors to make eye contact.

"…" Jin Kirigiri had been lost for words in seeing Kyouko Kirigiri standing in the doorframe. Momentarily, she had been frozen to the spot as well, but quickly regained her composure to greet the headmaster.

"Kirigiri-sensei." With a great deal of brevity and not so much tact, she walked right past him after that and sat on the edge of Naegi's bed. As both the boys watched her walk, Jin could have sworn he'd seen her fist clench briefly. As she turned back towards them, her face was as deadpan as usual.

She looked back, as if she was expecting him to leave. However, before she could voice her request, Naegi broke the growing tension. "Would you care to join us?" he asked, seeming as surprised as the headmaster was that he had suggested it.

"I wouldn't want to be a bother…" Jin replied, sneaking a glance at the girl sitting a few feet away, as if to ask whether she would mind. She turned away, refusing to meet his gaze and refusing to give him an answer. "But if I can be of any help, I'd be glad to stay."

Naegi smiled, unaware of the situation that had unfolded. He was far from oblivious to the feelings Kyouko had for her father, but he was completely unaware of her personal vendetta and stubbornness in regards to her distain.

Following Naegi as he passed by, Jin found himself in an awkward situation. True, it may have been better in the short term to have just apologise and escaped while he had the chance, but surely he could salvage something if he were to stay. Leaning against the wall opposite to the bed where the two students sat, he realised for the second time today that his decision may have not be the best idea. Nevertheless, he was here now and he had to stick by that choice.

Looking up at Naegi and Kirigiri, the headmaster caught the young student taking a deep breath before he started. "So, I wanted to ask Kirigiri-san if she could look into who the new student was, but since you're here, Kirigiri-sensei, could you tell us a little more about him?" At this, both Kyouko and Jin raised an eyebrow; one surprised that the mention of a new student, and the other at the realisation that Kyouko was still yet to hear about it.

To answer Naegi, he would have to be careful not to divulge the details of the Project Izuru Kamukura. "Well, as I said, he's fairly normal… He's a promising young man with a lot of potential. He's also fairly excitable whenever we discuss the prospect of leaving the preparatory to join the main one. Other than that, I'm afraid I don't know much else. I wish I could be more help…"

Kirigiri quickly took in each of the students' reactions. Naegi looked slightly disappointed, his head drooping at the minimal detail with which he had. Kirigiri's expression, on the other hand, was as deadpan as usual. However, in her lack of expression, there was indication of curiosity getting the better of her, in her unusual gaze and stillness, as if she was trying to ignore all distractions and process the information.

With the lull in conversation, Naegi took the opportunity to move it along. "That's okay, Kirigiri-sensei. I suppose I could always ask around for ideas. Let me just find some paper, so I can jot down some stuff…" Jumping to his feet, he wandered over to the desk, and began to look through the bag that hung off the chair that sat under it. After a bit of a rummage, he pulled out an empty pad. "Ah, eh… Looks like I'm out," he chuckled, scratching the back of his head, "I'll just pop next door and see if Maizono has some spare." With that, he turned on the spot, and walked out the door at a brisk pace.

With a loud click, the door shut behind him. Without skipping a beat, Kyouko immediately began talking. "His talent. You left out his talent. Why?" She asked, immediately putting Jin of the defence. Having to recover slightly from the speed she began questioning at, he opened his mouth, only to be interrupted again. "You blatantly lied in our faces. Naegi-kun may not have noticed, but I did. Why?"

This time, the headmaster managed to respond before the young detective started again. "Confidentiality issues is the short answer. The long answer is that there are some things even I don't know, and-"

"Stop treating me like a child," the young Kirigiri blurted out, a rare moment of strong emotion bursting out into the open, "Stop being so cryptic. Obviously, you can't tell us anymore than you have, so stop trying to lead me on and make me work it out for myself. I will choose what I do and do not look into."

The piercing gaze she directed at him was a look he knew all too well, having seen the look before from not only her but from his father as well. It was a look of resentment and disgust which chilled him to the bone. He looked up at her, trying to return her glare, but found himself unable to maintain eye contact. Defeated, he resigned. "I apologise. I'll be going then."

As he stood, he caught a flicker of emotion out the corner of his eye. Hesitation, maybe. But upon further examination, nothing had changed. "I confess my reaction was also maybe too much. After all, you were only answering my question," she sighed, closing her eyes as her guard lowered only slightly, "your negligence does not change the fact that I interested. I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight… Father."

Silence hung in the air for a moment after that as neither moved, the tension thick enough to muffle the sounds of a door reopening as Naegi made his grand re-entrance. "I'm back. Enoshima-san leant me some paper," he called, immune to the atmosphere that enveloped the others, "Ah, Kirigiri-sensei. Enoshima-san asked me to tell you she'll see you in the morning, because she needs her beauty sleep."

Turning the face the boy, a smile emerged on the headmaster's face. "Is that so? Very well then, I have matters I must attend to. Have a nice evening, the both of you. Don't stay up too late." Once again looking back to see his daughter's reaction, she had turned away from him already, but it did nothing to remove the smile from his face.

With a brief wave at Naegi-kun, he exited the room and closed the door behind him. Despite the awkwardness of the conversation, he felt it had gone quite well, much to his relief. However, he hadn't lied about needing to leave. After all, he'd be up for another three hours filling in and filing paperwork at this rate.

Sticking a single hand in his pocket, and whistling a quiet content tune, he made a detour past the cafeteria on his way back to his office, to prepare himself for the long night ahead. After all, he had a school to run tomorrow, so it would be just another day in the busy life of Hope's Peak Academy's headmaster.


End file.
